Decius wrote:

I think this tends to encourage a lot of mediocre violinists ...

There is clearly (a superficial) truth to this statement, but I think it fails to appreciate the indirect value of musical training. I don't have studies at hand but I'm sure they're out there. As in many areas pursued by children, the effort isn't worthless just because it doesn't lead to a professional career in that area. This applies to sports as much as fine arts.

Decius wrote:

Ultimately, children would be better off if schools attempted to understand and provide support and guidance for their personal individual extracurricular interests ...

A lot of superintendents would probably agree with you, but the money simply isn't there to provide the resources that such a strategy would require. Budget cuts threaten even the music programs that reliably churn out those mediocre violinists.

Your phrasing brought to mind the Montessori method, although it doesn't specifically apply to "extracurricular" activities. (One might argue that in Montessori, everything is curricular.) Perhaps Elonka could weigh in on this thread.

RE: My son's DOOM cartoon